Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. Merck, based in Darmstadt, Germany, owns the "Merck" name and brand worldwide, with the exception of Canada and the United States, where Merck uses the names EMD Millipore, Sigma, chemicon, upstate and large brands such as Roche and corning.

China is one of the most important strategic countries in the world and has become a global innovation center for Merck. In recent years, Merck's Pharmaceutical Health and life Sciences businesses have invested 170 million euros in Nantong, 80 million euros in Shanghai, and 44 million euros in the performance materials business. In addition, Merck has set up a global biopharmaceutical research and development center in Beijing, and a Display Materials Research and Development China Center, Appearance Technology Application Technology China Center, OLED Technology China Center, Life science Laboratory, and BioReliance® End-to-End Bioprocess Development Center in Asia Pacific. China Center for photolithographic Materials Research and Development is set up in Suzhou. Merck set up China Innovation Centers in Shanghai and Guangdong.